An absolute feast of worldbuilding, BETWEEN DRAGONS AND THEIR WRATH is something to sink your teeth into. Characters are a lot of fun, too.

3.5 stars. This is my first Devin Madson and I quite enjoyed the writing in this book. I think it's a solid start to what could be a really exciting series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Devin Madson, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

4.25 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It was so good. It’s complicated story following three point of views. There are some questionable things that the characters do. This book has more spice than I thought it would have. I do enjoy spice but at times it was all of a sudden. The flawed characters who are just trying to survive their broken kingdoms was well done. It can get confusing at times what is going on and who is talking. But it gets better once I understood the characters. I would recommend it!

This is a complex, evolved story that took me awhile to get into. I found the beginning confusing and honestly almost gave up on it. This follows three main storylines and I will be honest I was not a fan of one of the main characters. If you are able to stay with the story and endure the first few chapters you will be rewarded with a fantastic story.

Between Dragons and Their Wrath (BDATW) was an interesting read to say the least. A melding a few different subgenres of fantasy, this has a little something for everyone with conspiracy galore, epic glass scale dragons, guns, magic and a bit of romance.

Following 3 very different main characters, I must admit that I struggled starting this book. I felt like the first 3 chapters were somewhat of a drag and had a bit of trouble caring much about Tesha and Naili to start out. Tesha does eventually become my favorite point of view; it just takes a while for it to get there. Luckily Ash leads the charge for me in the first half of the book.

Between Dragons and Their Wrath has a unique twist on dragon riding. Not to say it's NEVER been done before, but if so, I have never seen it. Dragons with impenetrable scales of glass with sharpshooting riders...Hell yeah. This was a big highlight for me as I am a huge fan of dragon rider books in general. I was really pumped for Ashadi's chapters

Ash's chapters were full of history, lore, action and romance. I am not typically a romance reader but for what it's worth, those parts didn't bother me, and I am fairly confident when I say the romance was handled well. Ash and Mana made a good duo and were my highlight for most of the book. I loved the dynamic between the reluctant nobleman and the almost slave like Apian.

Tesha's PoV became my favorite as the political intrigue came into play. Tesha is set up to marry a very powerful man, and she has to learn to act the part of the noble wife. She has ulterior motives, and she becomes torn as to which side she should actually be on. I loved her character development and hidden romance.

Naili was my least favorite character and while her PoV got better for me further in the book, it was still a miss. There is one scene during her chapters that felt like a bad scene out of an adult film, and I question why it is there to begin with. It absolutely does nothing for the plot nor the character.

Naili's chapters are also where the majority of the magic is featured and it was a bit disappointing to me that we never really learn too much about it, but it has a lot of potential. I look forward to finding out more about it.

Although everything did not hit for me, I am overall happy with the end result and can look past my couple of grievances. This book was very well written, and I will be continuing on with the next installment when it is released.

BDATW was a good set up book for what I hope will be a fantastic series.

I think this book had a lot of potential. The plot was intriguing but the characters felt a bit flat for me and majority of the plot itself was lost amongst all the spice. I don’t mind spice but it’s too much when it feels that it overwhelms the story. It felt rather predictable and the male characters even more bland. I also felt that the changing pov’s took away from the story and made it difficult to keep my interest. I didn’t feel pulled into the story until at least a third of the way into it.

Not as good as I had hoped unfortunately. I was a big fan of Madson's previous series but this one was largely a miss. I really didn't get engaged in the plot at all until well past the halfway point. And the characters were a bit flat in my opinion. Maybe I will revisit it at a future time but for now I have to give it a lackluster review and rating.

This was a ride. I liked the dragons and the magic. The middle dragged a little, but it was still great.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I enjoyed this read, a solid epic fantasy story!
I thought it had good plot and character development. The world building could’ve been beefed up some, or more efficiently done in the introductory portion of the book, instead these parts felt a bit like filler that didn’t aid the story as much as they could. But overall a good one that has potential to continue into a great series?

My first Devin Madson review.

The beginning of the book immediately throws the reader into the action with the threat of war and introduces us to the name of one of the antagonists. From the perspective of our first female lead, the uncertainty and distress begins right away.

World-building:
This is where the book fell a bit short for me. Since our three main characters are spread throughout this world, I found myself having a hard time imagining the scenes, the buildings, and the world around each character. Certain points remained vivid, while others lacked imagery entirely. Especially describing the monsters.

Characters:
Told from 1st person multi-pov, I didn't have any difficulty switching between their POVs. What could have been improved here were their descriptions. Unless I blatantly missed it, their (mainly the two FMCs) identities were very unclear to me and at times their images were blurry blobs moving throughout the scenes. I wasn't able to fully picture them and become engulfed in their body language or mannerisms.
Ashadi and Mana stole the show for me. 100%. Their storyline is by far my favorite and I can't wait to see how their situation-ship develops.

Story:
This is where the book thrived in my opinion. Even with a lack of development in other areas, I was able to follow the plot thread and the characters' subplots rather easily. Between undercover political takedowns, action scenes involving dragons, and a very mysterious Alchemist, I can honestly say this was a good read.

Highlights/Tropes:
1st person/multi pov
lgbtqia+
mild explicit scenes
action & adventure
alchemical intrigue
a secret society/gang
threats of war
political hierarchy
mystery
dragons

This is a pretty solid epic fantasy. Most of the first part could have been shortened, in my opinion, so it does get off to a pretty slow start. There's a lot of just introduction that really didn't do too much character building or world building, so it felt unnecessary. Also, since it follows three different characters, it takes so long to even connect them, and one of them hasn't met any of the other two by the end. But, that's why sequels exist.
This book takes place in a desert basin that's very divided; there are the native Apaians, the new and colonial Emorans, and the neighboring Lummazzt that are encroaching. Some of it's unified under the Emoran empire, and some is just independent city-states. It begins with one of these city-states, Learshapa, being brought into the empire, which is a very controversial decision. Tesha is a Learshapan who wants independence, and so her and some of her friends who happen to be Emoran noblemen but who don't want Learshapa brought in by the leader of the empire set her up to embarrass said leader. The scheme? Marrying the reacher's brother and then revealing her as an insult bride and embarrassing him out of the position. (Emorans are very big on manners and insults and traditions.) Tesha also happens to be a skilled poisoner who's going in with a bigger agenda (kill the reacher). Then she starts to realize that maybe she's not all the way right. Ashadi, my favorite, is a dragon rider who has been exiled from his family (the same one passing Tesha off as a distant cousin) for mysterious reasons that we never really learn, to go off and be a soldier who rides a rad dragon and protects the borders from monsters. Dragons are basically invincible, but one day, his dragon gets shot down and he has to go on a quest to ask a lot of questions no one wants him asking. Ashadi is sarcastic and troubled and really a fun one. Our third lead is Naili, an Apaian laundress to a mysterious alchemist. Girls in the laundry start to develop flowers and plants (and maybe other stranger powers as well) and to find answers, Naili ends up in a gang.
I will definitely be waiting for the sequel. This ended on a cliffhanger. It was brutal. I need to know what happens next.

The old kingdom has been slit into three parts but there are those who wish to reunite the parts by any means necessary. Tesha is an apprentice to a glassblower who becomes a tribute bride and is forced to decide whether or not she will sabotage the city, Naili is a laundress for an alchemist who is forced to decide whether she should share her magic or keep it to herself and Ash is a dragon rider who protects the cities from the monsters who must learn how to protect his dragons from those who wish to kill it. As the war begins to build the three must fight against enemies of all kind or die trying.

I really enjoyed that the book is multiple POVs it allowed us to be in each characters head and learn more about them, especially since they all come from different backgrounds. There may have been a little too much of a focus on the "spiceness" of the book. At times it felt super forced and like it was taking away from the plotline. Due to this the middle dragged a bit because it felt like all the characters cared about was having sex. I did really enjoy the world building and thought it was super unique and interesting. There are some great descriptions that make the book more immersive. the book also delves into some heavy and relevant themes in a way that I really enjoyed.

Dragons with scales of glass ridden by men with pistols and rifles, defending the boarder against monsters; ships sailing across oceans of sand, catching the winds in enormous sails; women with flowers growing in their hair, able to bring forth life or death. Rich men with intricate plots working against powerful men with even more byzantine scheme and Tesha caught in between. Naili is discovering magic while Ash is realizing that all the alcohol and drugs in the world can’t hide him from reality forever.

A book about making choices, whether it’s to sacrifice yourself or blackmail someone else, whether it’s to admit your feelings or hide away from them. And dragons. Honestly, this book has one of the most interesting takes on dragons I’ve seen in awhile, with dragons made of glass … and who sleep in nests of wool so the stone floors of their dens won’t dull their scales. In order to communicate with their dragons, the riders take a drug that allows telepathy, keener senses, and a debilitating withdrawal that leaves them helpless. Honestly, as much as I enjoyed the stories of all three characters, I could have devoured a whole book just about the dragons and their riders.

Of the three couples — though I’m using that term rather loosely — Ash and Mana’s relationship is the one I most enjoyed (perhaps because of the dragons). Ash is attracted to Mana, but is also aware of the disparity of their positions, with Ash being the rich and titled dragon rider while Mana is his indigenous and powerless watcher, more a servant than an equal, and as much as Ash might want the relationship to turn into something else … would it be just another job for Mana? Fulfilling another need, performing necessary acts, like changing his sheets or filling up his bath? And would Mana refuse, even if he wanted to, with both of them aware of the power dynamics between them? And is he attracted to Mana because Mana offers comfort and compassion in his place of exile?

Naili and the Alchemist are another pair with difficult power dynamics; for all that the Alchemist says Naili has a choice … she doesn’t, not really. This is someone who has power over her, someone who has caused her harm and — Naili hopes — has the power to undo that harm. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the pairing, mostly because Naili is an interesting character and the tension between the pair was electric, but it’s also a darker shade of romance.

Tesha’s story is a more classic romance, of a girl entering into high society — under a ruse — in order to protect the man she loves, finding herself married to someone else, someone she could almost like. It’s mostly politics from there, but I will say that Tesha is an engaging character, and while I liked the other two more, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like Tesha. Frankly, I enjoyed all three storylines.

The world building is also a stand out, with three distinct and different pieces of it — the dragon rider citadel, high society and the underbelly — from each character. Even with every point of view chapter being in first person, I was easily able to tell the characters apart and found their voices to be distinctive and engaging. However, the pacing is a bit on the meandering side, particularly in Niali’s sections, I think, where she spends a great deal of time thinking herself into circles rather than making a choice. Much of her story, in contrast to Ash and Tesha, is reactionary, going where she’s told by other people because she doesn’t have the wherewithal (at the moment) to make her own choice or choose her own path.

All that said, I really enjoyed this book. The characters worked for me, the world building was well done and the book ended on a cliffhanger that has me eager to read the sequel. I want to thank Net Galley and Orbit for granting me access to an advanced reader copy

The first person multi-pov took some getting used to, but I do believe I enjoyed it once I was further in and invested in the book. The concepts were interesting and the set up for future books was great. I think my only issue was how long it took me to really enjoy the main characters, the twits was predictable I still liked where they went.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the arc! Hmm, I am ambivalent about my feelings for this book. The concepts, set-up, themes, and uniqueness of this book is on point, but I have mixed feelings about the execution.



The negatives:

Multi-pov in first person…is a choice. It’s very nice to be so in these characters’ heads, but through first person there was a learning curve on who is narrating, and I overall think third person would have worked much better with this story.

The characters made some decisions that just made no fucking sense. At one point, an mc gets called a slur by someone, and what does she do? She lets the bitch eat her out. Like what???? If I was in the mc’s position I would simply choose violence. There’s a lot of horniness in this book in general, which don’t get me wrong, I like heat. Heat and spice is fun, but I feel like we lost the plot here, with just how horny these characters were, and the decisions they sometimes made. It broke the immersion for me, and often pissed me off. They all had a jobs to do. But again, instead of the plot, it just focused on how down bad these idiots were. It was just not what I thought it was. Yet, on the bright side, because these characters were a mess, the plot was at times unpredictable, which is nice. Some main and important twists I caught early on though.

The middle section did drag a little. With some complaints I mentioned earlier, I did have to slog through 100ish pages of characters just being off their rockers. I did consider dnfing, but I’m glad I stuck it through.



The positives:

As I mentioned earlier, the concepts and set-ups were very unique and interesting. There are guns, dragons, a citadel, ostentatious wealth, wealth inequality, girls turning into plants, a mysterious alchemist, seemingly indestructible glass that’s VERY rare and plays a huge role in the wars and invasions occurring, lovely clay houses, Roman-like baths, gangs, a rotten underbelly to a certain city, lots of cities and the cultures that come with them, as well as different groups of people that lead to interesting themes and dynamics. There’s a lot to work with here. This also lends itself to some wonderful descriptions that really take you there.

The themes in this book do add a lot to the story. They’re what stick out the most to me, actually. The themes of colonialism, imperialism, racism, and generational trauma are fascinating to read about. We have indigenous groups and communes, the diaspora experience, and the clash of these cultures with those who oppress them. I also loved the theme of the importance of gossip and secrets. Gossip and information can be dissidence, and power, and a tool for survival. I haven’t read a book with this theme that is as present in the story as this one. I need this theme explored more in fantasy literature. The political intrigue was intriguing, and it was fabulous.

By the end of this book, I was satisfied enough with the mcs storylines. While some twists were predictable, I enjoyed them nonetheless. The end recaptured my attention after dragging through the middle portion of this book. I will likely read the second book in this series, as I feel it has promise with the way things were set-up. May these bitches tear the entire thing down.



In all, while there were some glaring issues and issues that would usually lead to me dnfing a book, other elements allowed me to finish what I started. Once again, I’m glad I did. I’ll be anticipating the second book in this series, but tentatively. 3.5, rounded up.

From Aurealis Award‑nominated author Devin Madson comes a new rip-roaring epic fantasy full of dragons, alchemical magic, and forbidden romance that unfolds as three people in a shattered empire become entangled in a looming revolution. The old kingdom of Paicha has been split into city states, but there are those who seek to reunite the shattered realm—by force if necessary. Amidst the turmoil there are three who will find their destinies inextricably tangled. Tesha is a glassblower’s apprentice who becomes a tribute bride when her city is conquered by the south. In the enemy’s court, she’s perfectly placed to sabotage them, but her heart has other plans. Naili is a laundress in the house of an eccentric alchemist who is awakening to strange new powers. When radicals approach her, she faces a choice between keeping her magic to herself and using it to change the world. And in the desolate Shield Mountains, dragon rider Ash protects the cities from the monsters in the Iipao sands beyond. But, soon he'll have to learn how to protect his dragon when hunters unlock the secret to killing them. As war sweeps across the land, Tesha, Naili, and Ash must fight for survival against political enemies, dragon hunters, and monsters both within and without.

I ate this one up! I've enjoyed he previous series but this one is a major step up. Epic fantasy at its finest, I would re-read this one again immediately! I now want a physical copy of this for my favorites collection!

The book pulled you in straight from the beginning, The first pages really set the scene and then it just kept getting better, the descriptions are so detailed it's like a movie playing in your head.
I can't get enough of the series and I wholeheartedly can't wait for the next book!